And I am stronger than the challenge!

Friday, September 9, 2016

It feels like the world collectively is going through a dark night, where millions of children and their families are suffering not only the pain of leaving their homes, lack of food and security, injuries and deaths of dear ones but also rejection, humiliation, and discrimination. All of these people bring desires, aspirations, capabilities and determination to contribute to the societies they are passing through and will settle in one day. Millions, on the other hand, in the receiving countries live everyday in fear, anger and frustration. Sometimes, their fears are realistic and sometimes they are exaggerated and exploited by the rhetoric of few. But is suffering for one group and fear for another is the long term answer? Is this what we want to settle for as the human race of this era?

It is up to their own governments and host societies what they do with all the courage, determination, lessons learned and skills that the internally displaced populations, migrants and refugees bring with them. How all of these virtues and the energies associated with them can be transformed into something beautiful and productive. Certainly, it cannot be done with fear, xenophobia and rejection rather it is more likely to be counterproductive. However, welcome, empathy, openness and support can create beautiful possibilities both for the arriving people as well as the host populations. Let us embrace with courage and embark on beautiful possibilities together!

I wish I could sleep
In the middle of this dark night
And dream of walking
Into the daybreak
Over the green moist grass,
Full of yellow wild flowers
And colorful butterflies
Hearing lively laughter of children
Seeing them play, learn and grow.
Young men and women rebuilding
Broken hospitals, schools and homes,
And mixing their aspirations in the cement
Fathers are being fathers
And mothers are smiling and
Celebrating the renewal,
Where all are paying attention to
The wise words of the elderly
To bring the Nations together in peace
I wish I could walk into the daybreak
Over the green moist grass...

Friday, August 19, 2016

In July, I visited Melilla, an autonomous Spanish city
in Northern Africa by Moroccan border as part of my professional work. We were
there facilitate training to better prepare their local people on how to
provide appropriate psychosocial support to migrant and refugee children in
Melilla. Almost all of the incoming children see Melilla as a stepping stone to
move on to Europe. However, in most cases, these children are held in Melilla
with little to no resources in the name of ‘protection’.

I saw children stuck in Melilla not only physically but also
psychologically and socially. These children leave their homes, their mothers
and fathers, their friends, the world they grew in and the good and the bad of
it to go to Europe, their dream destination. They come from various countries:
Morocco, Mali, Algeria and Syria. They leave their place because they are too
tired of the suffering back home or they are pulled by the dream of availing
themselves of the opportunities that are available in the rest of the world.
But the rest of the world doesn’t always understand them, it mixes its own
fears and agendas to their innocent dreams and aspirations. The local
administration is trying to do what they can according to what they think is
right. They have devised a protection system for these children. The children
are trapped in places like Melilla, where ‘protection’ takes the form of iron
bars around their lives and plans for future.

The children are not accepted for who they are: values,
thoughts, dreams and aspirations. They are forced to become what the new
destination wants them to be as soon as they arrive. Local systems are forced
on them without explanation or care. If they happen to fall out of it, they are
branded as ‘anti-socials’ or ‘bad’ without any delay. They are perceived as
criminals, not only by the law and order personnel, but also by other citizens
in the receiving society.

We witnessed, a restaurant waiter hit one of the children
because he was begging for food. But what would a child do when he is forced to
live in a center with a capacity of 180 but is holding 320+ children at any
given time? We met with a few workers in these centers, they too are burned
out. Anybody would run away, especially the one who is already on the run from
misery and suffering. They didn’t give up everything they had to succumb to
more suffering. And when they leave the centers and try to fend for themselves,
they are not allowed to work by the law, not even for a couple of hours. Please
note, many of these children are between 16-18 years.

My perception was that the so called protection system is
not in place to protect the best interest of the child but to protect Melilla
from these children. On the contrary, if the system would genuinely protect the
well-being of children, they will not be considered a threat to the society. If
their resilience is acknowledged and enhanced, they can actually contribute
positively to the society if given an opportunity.

All we need to do is listen to these children with empathy
and device programs and activities that fall within the local laws but also
synchronize with their dreams and aspirations. All the relevant actors from law
and order departments, civil society organizations and other non-governmental
organizations must collaborate to prepare these children to embark on a journey
that is positive for them as well as for the communities they will become part
of in Europe. Below is my humble request to the adults of Melilla and other
receiving cities where children are held against their wishes with meager
resources just to control their movement:

Friday, August 12, 2016

This is a poetic
petition to the youth around the world who is picking up guns in the name of
God and is giving up their own lives to fulfill the agenda of those who sit in
their safe sanctuaries. These young lives belong to a variety of backgrounds
and they are being misled in the name of Allah, the most merciful. It is
absolutely unacceptable! The internet is full of information on this
recruitment process and the consequences. Here's one news
story:http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/middleeast/isis-child-soldiers/.

People have picked up arms in almost all religions including Christianity,
Hinduism, Judaism and even Buddhism. However, never before young lives were
targeted the way they are now. There is an entire recruiting machinery that is
out there recruiting them to kill, to be wives of terrorists (who many times
end up being sexually exploited) and recruit others using various ways
including the social media. In addition, it is not only the extremism that is
enticing them to join ISIS but the unfortunate ‘Islamophobia’, particularly in
the west, pushes them to the sidelines. It makes things even more complicated.
I also recognize that religious extremism is not the only cause that drives our
youth to abuse and exploitation. However, this particular poem comes from the accumulation
of pain that arose every time I heard a young life was sacrificed for religious
extremism in the last couple of years. I do want to emphasize on one thing
though that most of these young people are not devoted Muslim people, on the
contrary either they are new converts or do not believe at all. So at the end
of the day, none of this is really about Islam, this is way beyond one religion
and includes actions, behaviors and ideologies of people from different
backgrounds and religious groups.

We cannot
eliminate this horrible movement by labeling these young lives as terrorists
and bombing them. We must bring our children back with compassion. It is both
our right and duty to tell them the truth using many ways and many times. It is
said that God is love and there is nothing we can do to reduce His love, mercy
and grace for us. It is equally true for all the people that have gone astray
in the name of extremism and I urge them to come back in the name of Allah.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

I started writing this poem a few months back. I wasn't sure why was I thinking about my death. After a lot of reflection, I asked my husband, a fellow Red Crosser, the same question. He replied, "Maybe because you're thinking of transitioning from the Red Cross, an organisation that you love and worked for most of your professional life". I had no clue that the thought of leaving the Red Cross could have such a powerful impact on me.

Since I started with the Red Cross, I worked in many different positions and several different countries. I began as a nobody, I leave as an internationally known name and with a knowledge that it is a long way before I arrive. Whatever I am as a professional, I owe it to the Red Cross. Needless to say, I will continue to volunteer with Red Crossers whenever I can catch some free time from my new job, which seems to be awesome too!

This post might be too cheesy for some and it is okay! I didn't plan for it but I couldn't resist it either. Separation from what you love is never easy and it is alright to process and share your feelings of sadness into something meaningful!

When I die,

drape me in a saree

with a Red Cross pin

to honour my passion and mother country.

Teaching a fellow Indian woman about the importance of sharing your feelings in Orissa, India (2003)

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sharing with you part of a conversation that took place on my Facebook page recently. I shared the photo below on my page just to remind people that Islam is not about terrorism but it's mostly about peace. I am aware of the verses in Quran that may allude to violence but there are similar verses in the Bible and other holy books. Yes, most violence in today's world might be coming from people that have some sort of association with Islam but we know during the crusades, Christians committed some horrific crimes against humanity as well. The point is no matter what religion one belongs to, lust for power makes one commit atrocities and there have been different phases and places where followers one religion have outdone others when it comes to violence.

Found the photo on Facebook

Going back to the conversation on Facebook, when I put this photo with words from Prophet Mohammad that says, 'Do you know what is better than charity and fasting and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind'. One of my respected friends from church commented, "Sadly they have removed verses like this from Quran." What an ignorant statement! Before I could respond, my dear friend from Pakistan responded. Here's the excerpt from what she said:"All That You are reading on the Internt is a propaganda of Some people who just don't want to see peace in world, specially between Muslims and other religions. They have many translations uploaded on the internet which are misleading. The Surah You Mentioned Are not Talking About killing without a cause. I am sure everyone is familiar with a Word "Jihad".ji·had, jəˈhäd/ noun1. (among Muslims) a war or struggle against unbelievers.* The Arabic word "jihad" is often translated as "holy war," but in a purely linguistic sense, the word " jihad" means struggling or striving. The arabic word for war is: "al-harb". In a religious sense, as described by the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, "jihad" has many meanings. It can refer to internal as well as external efforts to be a good Muslims or believer, as well as working to inform people about the faith of Islam.

The meaning of jihad is to fight in case a disbeliever ATTACKS your religion and points finger. Our religion doesn't even allow us to waste a drop of water without a reason so how can our religion promote a bloodshed?

Surah 9:5And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

47:3That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood, and those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus does Allah present to the people their comparisons.8:12Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."

I am so proud of her to step up and respond to my other friend in a calm and respectful manner. Now a days, it is rare to see people making their point in deference to those who they do not agree with. The trend, unfortunately, is if they disagree with you, they are to be insulted. But my friend didn't do that, she took the high road! What an inspiration for all of us! Thanks Amber for reminding us that winning hearts is way more important than winning a point!

By insulting or marginalising those who do not agree with me, I don't win my point. As a matter of fact, I lose them, I lose respect, I lose the opportunity to learn and evolve. It is ok to educate each other about our perspectives in an honourable fashion and it is perfectly alright to agree to disagree with respect!

Friday, January 8, 2016

There will always be distractions in life that would lead us away from who we are and as a result we might behave like a stranger. Therefore, it is important to continue to dive in the deepest of one's being and resuscitate oneself every now and then. 'Finding Me' helped me to refocus on my calling!

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About Me

Have had the honor of working with and learning from people in over 30 countries around the world. A collection of my Hindi poems was published in 2015, entitled, 'Papa Ke Joote' (my father's shoes) and my autobiography was published in 2010, entitled, 'Gudia: A Defiant Doll'. I have written extensively on issues pertaining to gender and psychosocial support post disasters and conflicts.